Uncommon Criminals--Ally Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Books, 2011
Pages: 304 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I know I read this book months ago but I must have forgotten to review it here! Crazy.

When we last left Kat in Heist Society she had just wrapped up robbing the Henley to prove her father's innocence. In Uncommon Criminals, Kat has accepted that she is a thief and does not belong in the regular academic world she tried so hard to fit into in the first book, but she's okay with that as long as she is stealing within her personal code. She continues to steal artwork that has already been stolen so that she can return the pieces to the original owners. In this novel, however, she's after a mysterious jewel, the Cleopatra Emerald. It's a tough job and one that requires the help of not only her immediate band of thieves, but even her estranged Uncle Charlie-- Uncle Eddie's twin.

Just like Ally Carter's other novels, Uncommon Criminals is a fun, exciting read. I read it months ago but I still remember it. If you haven't picked up any of Carter's books, get on it. She's one of my favorite current YA authors.
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Crap Kingdom--DC Pierson

Title: Crap Kingdom
Author: DC Pierson
Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 2013.
Pages: 368 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I first heard about this book on twitter and the combination of the title and the comedian endorsements made me add it to my to read list.

Tom Parking is your ordinary drama geek who dreams of something more, something bigger, than his small town easy life. Tom is not unhappy, he's just not particularly happy either. He gets along well with his mom, enjoys his acting, has a couple of friends at school and no major problems. Which is why he's the wrong guy to be chosen as a hero for an alternate universe in trouble. Even though he dreams of being a hero and saving the world, his life is just a tad bit not horrible enough for him to risk everything to save this other world which, quite frankly, sucks. It's not until the "Crap Kingdom" finds another chosen one that Tom realizes the opportunity he passed up and tries to help.

Crap Kingdom is not your typical hero-novel. The portal between our worlds and theirs is a clothing drop-off bin, one of those large containers for donated clothes, which opens up to a lake full of rejected clothes and laundry detergent. The people of this alternate universe all wear odd combinations of clothing that they pick up from the lake. They build their houses from garbage gathered from the human world. There are funny bits about drinking from toilet-like contraptions to help them remember their horrible lives instead of forgetting them. Tom's interactions with the townspeople and the Princess are amusing.

Crap Kingdom is a good quick read, great for boys and for readers who want to read a funny take on the hero-quest novel.
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I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links & buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.